Taliban bans women from visiting Band-e-Amir National Park in Bamiyan province

In Afghanistan, the Taliban government has banned women from visiting the Band-e-Amir National Park in Bamiyan province. According to local media reports, Acting Minister of Virtue and Vice, Mohammad Khaled Hanafi, said women had not been wearing hijab inside the park. 

He called on religious clerics and security agencies to forbid women from entering until a solution was found. Band-e-Amir is a significant tourist attraction. It is a popular destination for families and the ban on women attending will prevent many from being able to enjoy the park. UNESCO describes the



park as a naturally created group of lakes with special geological formations and structures, as well as natural and unique beauty.

 

Fereshta Abbasi of Human Rights Watch noted women had been banned from visiting the park on Women's Equality Day and wrote it was a total disrespect to the women of Afghanistan.

 

The ban on visiting the Band-E-Amir National Park is the latest in a long list of activities that women have been prevented from doing since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.